So, what kind of pain am I talking about? Well, on a scale of 1-10, it varied from a 3-4 (now) to about an 8-9 (Mon/Tue). We're talkin' some serious pain. What did I do? Before you assume it's from carrying my son on my back during my little test last month, STOP - that wasn't it! I have some chronic spinal alignment issues which were triggered by something - no clue what - and it sent me on a fast downward spiral over the past 7-10 days. It sucked. When I first started seeing a chiropractor, we went through my medical history (and history of falls and injuries) and took x-rays where I was ultimately I was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). I also learned that my neck was curving in the wrong direction; we believe that was due to a whiplash injury I had a few years back. (Note to self: Watch out when loading the van at the home improvement store curb - don't walk into the open back-end hatch!) After a few years of regular chiropractic treatments - usually once a week but, during flare-up times I was there 3x per week - another x-ray was taken and there was marked improvement! While the curvature of my neck wasn't back to "normal", it has make progress in alignment. Yeah! So, why am I sharing all of this now? Because for the past 10+ days, I've had a flare-up of my TOS that really threw me off track. And, I want to share with you 1) how I managed to work through it, and 2) how I didn't give myself the green light to off-road from my goals.Working through the Pain
The first few days, the pain was more annoying than anything. It was the week of Thanksgiving and I went in for an adjustment twice - Monday and Wednesday. I was really tight in my upper back, between my shoulder blades, and my neck was sore. I also saw my massage therapist that Tuesday and she worked me pretty good. By Thanksgiving Day, I was doing just fine. I hit the stores for Black Friday and got ready for my son's 8th birthday party that Saturday. Sunday my kids had a karate event and all was fine. Until that night... By Monday morning, the pain was unbearable. It hurt to swallow as my jaw was sore to the base of my skull (right side) and into my clavicle. What was odd was that my motion was fine; I could turn my head and look over my shoulder. Typically I have issues with mobility when this strikes. I called the chiropractor and got in just after dropping the kids at school. After a good 20 minutes of working through my adjustment - my body just wasn't cooperating - I was put on stims (aka, TENS) for 20 minutes and sent on my merry way with instruction to alternate ice and heat (and OIL!). Home I went because the thought of sitting at my desk all day at work just made me want to throw up. I contacted my favorite massage therapist and paid her a visit. Wow, was I ever tight! She did the best she could but I know that nothing really released. I was in for a long week. That afternoon I had my previously scheduled mammogram and I thought about rescheduling. But, with breast cancer prevalent in my family, I don't like putting these types of things off. And, I thought I was doing a bit better. Again, mobility wasn't an issue so I didn't think too much of this. After the first image (of 2) on my right side, I started to feel woozy. I told the technician that I have a history of vasovagal when I'm experiencing extreme pain. (The first time it happened, it landed me in the hospital for cardiac observation! Second time was then I was after getting a cortisone injection and my doctor was working it into my shoulder.) Luckily, I was able to catch myself before I went down completely. But, I'll admit: there was a few minutes of time that I don't remember. I do remember insisting on continuing through the mammogram and she had me sit through it. I wasn't able to leave until my color returned a bit more. She walked with me from the hospital to the attached eye clinic where I sat with a optician friend while the rest of my color came back. I laid low that night and Tuesday it was just as bad. So, I stayed home from work again and just vegged: no massage, no adjustment, and certainly no mammogram! This is the day that the pain hit the highest level for me. I can only compare it to two things: labor and post-bunion surgery. And, I'll tell you that it is now in my top 3 for sure (post-bunion surgery being #1). Wednesday morning came and I had a follow-up chiropractor appointment right after dropping the kids off at school / before work. That was rough... It was a very aggressive adjustment, particularly on my clavicle. The sweater I was wearing left an imprint on my sternum and today (Friday) it is still there. The area is quite tender on that spot and a bruise is very faint, but there. I don't think my body has ever been jolted quite that hard before. Into work I went and that was rough. Thursday I made it until just before 3:00 pm when I went home to finish reading a book for a project I'm researching. This morning, I've turned a corner!
Using Essential Oils for Pain
You first need to understand that when I started seeing a chiropractor, I was told that taking any sort of anti-inflammatory drug during my treatment my impact the overall outcome and how my body responds. (Read more about this reasoning from another chiropractor HERE.) It would be rough but my history of a high pain tolerance was on my side. Once relief was finally felt, I could NOT believe how I ever lived in such discomfort and constant pain. Major changes to my diet - adopting a Paleo lifestyle - has also brought on drastic improvements in how my body adjusts and responds to chiropractic treatments. I believe that my diet low in inflammatory foods (such as grains, dairy, sugar, legumes and anything processed) has kept me relatively pain-free for going on two years. So when I started using essential oils, I wanted to know which ones I could use to help alleviate the common aches and pains of aging (I'm no spring chicken!) and constant abuse to my body through tractor tire flipping, running and swimming. This past week, I've used quite the combination of oils. Keep in mind, every BODY is different and responds in other ways. And, I was also receiving other natural treatments (massage and adjustments) to compliment the remedy my pain.
Aroma Siez™ - I started with this oil because of it's relaxing blend of basil, marjoram, lavender, peppermint and cypress. My massage therapist used this the last few times during my massages and it's really helped with the release of tension.
Stress Away™ - One of my favorite and daily blends, Stress Away™ can help induce relaxation and reduce occasional nervous tension. I rubbed it on my wrists a few times throughout the day. I also use a diffuser pendant and put a drop in my necklace as well. Stress Away™ contains copaiba, lime, cedarwood, vanilla, ocotea, and lavender.
Valor® - Just as the name suggests, this blend helps with strength and courage. However, I find it also helps with my adjustments - promoting overall alignment of the body. I rubbed this one at the base of my skull, where the pain was the worst. Valor® contains spruce, rosewood, blue tansy and frankincense.
Deep Relief - Wow! What can I say about this amazing blend!?!? This is another favorite - excellent to put on my knees after an attempt to run or on my still-healing big toe after a long day in shoes. Deep Relief comes in a roll-on and smells very minty! I actually get chills when I have it on. I rubbed this all over my shoulders, collar bones, and neck at least 3-5 times per day. Deep Relief contains peppermint, lemon, balsam fir (Idaho), copaiba, clove, wintergreen, helichrysum, vetiver) root oil, and palo santo. WOW!
PanAway® - Think of "pain away" with this one. After that adjustment on Wednesday, I began putting this on my sternum. Panaway contains: wintergreen, helichrysum, clove and peppermint. To learn more about how you can get these oils, click HERE!
Staying on Track
You'd think one of the hardest things to overcome for the week was the desire to just eat crap. Well, it wasn't even something I had considered. That is because I know that eating inflammatory foods such as grains or anything processed would make my condition WORSE! And, pain was a good suppressor of the sugar demon. Granted, a glass of wine sounded good to relax but a whiff of Stress Away™ took care of that for me. Of course, I could not consider exercising through this - although I tried. Tuesday afternoon I had this overwhelming desire to RUN! So, I did just that. It was under 2 miles and I walked a good chunk of it. It was a 40 minute mistake for sure! So, I sit here today - Friday - and I feel a bit like a sloth. But, that's a good thing. It means that hopefully next week I can get back into the pool. It's been way too long since I've swam (a month?) so it's time.
Again - why am I sharing all of this?
Look, we all have things we want to do and accomplish, right? Whether it be a project around the house or a major life change, it doesn't matter. Curve balls are out there for everyone. You can't let yourself stray off-course when it comes. You need to realize that this challenge has been given to you for a reason. Try to look beyond the inconvenience of the situation and figure out how it can help you take a fresh look at your goals. For me, I was letting my Mondays and Wednesdays (swim nights) get away from me with other "stuff". It made me think about what that "stuff" really is and how important it is to me: is getting the dishwasher emptied and re-loaded more important than swimming? NO! (And what are the kids for again? :) ) While I may still have a bit of a pain in the neck, I know that this little detour was needed to reaffirm everything I've learned about how my body works and what it needs to heal. What are your plans this weekend? We're off to cut down our Christmas tree! And, yes, I'll be careful as to not mess up my neck anymore!
Here's to your journey!
~Anne
Oh, and before I forget ... Check out this awesome video for some great exercises for us desk jockeys! Sitting at a desk job has contributed to my pain in the neck and I've been trying to incorporate these suggestions into my day.
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